One of the most exciting rising contenders in the UFC has already made his intentions clear.
In the main event of UFC 314 on April 12, Alexander Volkanovski looks to reclaim the featherweight title when he faces Diego Lopes for the vacant belt.
The Octagon’s return to Miami is stacked even after the card lost one of the most exciting matchups between Carlos Prates and Geoff Neal.
Brazil’s Prates will now feature in an even bigger spot when he faces Ian Machado Garry in the main event on April 26 in Kansas City.
If the Fighting Nerds athlete is able to notch another big win, he could be within touching distance of a title shot following an electric start to life in the UFC.
Carlos Prates spoke to Belal Muhammad through the cage after knocking out his teammate
Carlos Prates was one of the breakout stars of 2024 after the Dana White’s Contender Series alum produced four knockout wins and post-fight bonuses.
His debut came in February where the dangerous striker stopped Trevin Giles at the UFC Apex to announce his arrival in the welterweight division.
In his second outing, Prates headed to Louisville, Kentucky where he met Charles Radtke who had recorded back-to-back wins inside the Octagon.
Both men landed a similar amount of significant strikes but it was clear that the Brazilian was the more dangerous of the two and he started to have fun in there as the first round went on.
After landing a clean straight left with 20 seconds left on the clock, Prates taunted his opponent before following up with a sickening knee to the body that crumpled Radtke for the walk-off knockout.
The American’s VFS Academy teammate Belal Muhammad was in the corner that night, one month before he challenged for the welterweight title.
Prates posted a video on his Instagram which showed Muhammad’s reaction to the end of the fight as ‘The Nightmare’ went over to the welterweight contender and told him through the cage that they’ll meet soon.
Carlos Prates can put his name into the mix with a win on April 26
Carlos Prates vs Ian Machado Garry isn’t just a phenomenal clash of styles, it’s a big fight for the welterweight division.
The Irishman may be coming off of a loss but his stock arguably climbed following his close contest with Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310.
With Prates being the hottest new contender at 170-pounds and Garry being a fighter who pushed Rakhmonov like no one else has, a win for either man would be big on April 26.
Belal Muhammad isn’t short on challengers right now but both Prates and Garry know how to get people talking so one of them won’t be too far away once the dust settles in Kansas City.
